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I rose at 7ish as I had to get Air Volvo to TV Highway Automotive. The gasoline filling has flaps to make an air-tight seal, which, after 70,000 miles, were not working, causing multiple codes and an Engine Check light. I made liberal coffee and toasted a NYC bagel (thanks, Joyce) for a quick breakfast. I read the news (mostly political) and downloaded transactions to Quicken, which failed as Quicken’s mothership was having some issues (I could do this with success later in the day). I wrote the blog and stopped, incomplete, at 8:30, cleaned up, dressed, and took my laptop, phone, and other items (wallet, eye drops, eye protection, emergency inhaler, wool hat, and key fob) and boarded Air Volvo. We traveled for only one block to the auto repair place.

The entrance was blocked by a large oil truck (I assume it picks up old oil and chemicals), meaning I had to park on the street and walk over. I was expected, and they took my keys. I grabbed the stool, used it as the desk for my laptop, and got back to writing while waiting in their tiny lobby. After a while, I saw Air Volvo leave with a technician for a test drive. It returned and was moved to a work bay. I continued to write and soon finished the blog. The place phone rang non-stop with folks looking for status or to bring cars in for repairs. Many were recorded, and thus, I heard the message. The staff, always in Spanish, discussed some repairs, and I could understand enough that they were shocked by the costs the customers were racking up.

My car was finished in just over two hours (the parts had come in last week) and cost $350 (primarily standard charges and $150 for parts). I was happy to get out of there with a 2015 Volvo for less than a thousand. At the dealership, that amount would be just the shop charges! I also learned I had a year warranty at a Napa repair place, including this one, if the Engine Light and codes returned.

I returned to the Volvo Cave without the Engine Check light returning. Excellent! The mail, which included my orchids and a Kickstarter set of books, was delivered, and soon, I was unboxing my new plants. These are plugs or small plants, and the box contained pots, a special orchid mix for potting from the grower, and lots of instructions. I used the stovetop as my potting bench (and made a small easy to clean-up mess) and soon had the orchids in fine pots, all designed to hold water inside and to have the roots and potty material out of the water. The new orchids are from various tribes (orchids are complex, and they have tribes inside of the usual species definition we are more used to). I have grown some before, and some new ones I am not familiar with at all–exciting.

I usually avoid vandas (I now have two) as I have only met a few people who have gotten them to flower. Vandas do not grow in mediums but on them—sort of like an air plant, but make this up for beautiful, long-lasting flowers. I will make a go of it. I have set the vandas on potting mix with just a few roots down to stop them from falling out of the pots. These are too young and may flower in one to three years (!). They need daily water and bright light.

I also received a ready-to-flower miniature orchid that is a few inches tall and fully grown. I have never had a Tolumnia orchid before, and with few choices, I have set it on a pot. This is an even more air plant than the Vandas and can be grown on a cork. It should flower soon if I can make it happy. This is the ultimate apartment orchid.

I now have a cattleya, an ugly plant that produces the most beautiful but short-lived flowers I have seen. This one looks young, and I think the one-year wait for flowering may be too generous. I potted this in one of the larger pots. This is the most house-plant-like care of the orchids: water, feed, and wait. But the one you hide in the back until it flowers.

Oncidium is new to me; it did not have a tag to describe its colors. I potted it, and I think it is an older plant, but it will likely flower soon if I can make it happy. The house may be too cold. Lastly, dendrobium is a familiar tribe to me and another hideous plant. It has long-lasting moth-like orchids on a long spike, making up for the awful-looking plant. This one also lets its leaves go in the winter, so it is often considered dead when resting.

While the lights can be automated, misting is more complex. However, I have learned that orchids can be ignored for a short period (weeks) and recover without loss, unlike other less aware plants. Also, stress sometimes makes the orchids flower. I will not need to stay home to ensure the orchids’ survival.

The Europe-based Black Letter Press Kickstarter for their modern-style translation of Ars Goetia arrived, a book that catalogs the imagined rules of Hell and their summoning symbols from various sources. This is from a series of books, all of the so-called Black Arts of the 1500-1800s, and revised to modern English usage. The symbols and images are reproduced in great clarity for those would-be summoners. I collect these as props for various role-playing games. The latest one, they have another Kickstarter, is too expensive for me (I am retired, after all), but FOMO could force me to get one (I have six different books from BLP already). Resist!

I celebrated my new plants with a BLT. I discovered that my bread went moldy (as there is just me, I will have to freeze bread now and toast it when I want it), but Misha and family gave me their left-over buns, and those worked fine. I purchased a favorite movie, A Haunting in Venice, for my Apple and watched some of it while making and eating my two bun BLTs.

Next, I need trays to catch water drips and allow some humidity to flow up from stones in the tray covered with water (the rocks, while nice-looking, provide more surfaces for evaporation). I head to Cornell Gardens off Barnes Road at the start of the West Hills. The traffic and construction were messy, but I was not in a hurry.

Air Volvo found a spot in the back, and I started to walk through Cornell Garden, a wonderful nursery and plant complex with a giant monkey puzzle tree in front of the old farmhouse, now an office, and a coffee and light food service. In the 1800s and later, the captains of the sailing ships discovered that a few exotic plants would survive the voyage back and survive in the Portland weather. Our palms, bananas, and monkey puzzle trees are some of those surprised from far lands.

I met Pam and Sharron from church unplanned, and we chatted for a while before they moved on. They had lunch at the farmhouse. I also saw Victor from the shoe company, and we were happy to see each other. Victor was there to acquire a fruit tree. I put a picture of Pam, Sharron, and myself on FaceBook and sent a photo of Victor and me to Brad and Michael G at the shoe company.

I walked the whole garden a few times to get my steps (short of 5,000 on Monday), but it was hills and uneven ground, all excellent practice for me. I found a pomegranate tree (many) for sale, and I have always wanted one. There was also a peppercorn tree that was interesting to me. I called Dondrea, and we debated whether she needed a pomegranate tree for her next birthday–I think yes. I guess my old garden, now a pile of dirt in my backyard, would look better as a couple of trees. I am sure I can find friends who can dig holes for me. Hmmm.

Traffic was crazy, and I parked in Beaverton Old Town, where much of the parking was blocked as the city was re-sealing the roads with black, oily stuff. Yes, we still cannot convince municipalities to find better solutions for street paving. The newly darkened road was radiating heat from absorbing the bright sunlight. F**k! And it stunk of petroleum that will run into our rainwater this fall. Double f**k. But I am sure it was the cheaper alternative and will last for years–greener alternatives were likely much more expensive and last less long (and my friends on the political Right would, and I think fairly, point out the ecological costs of new technologies instead of the already cheaper sunk costs of a well-known petroleum solution). Also, as folks on the conservative side would point out, much rainwater here in the Pacific Northwest is passed through natural and industrial processes to remove petroleum, which floats and can be thus easily removed. But still, the black and subsequent heating should be fixed somehow…so I will still make my greener demands–there’s got to be something better.

The store that sells plant stuff is not open on Mondays (more f**k), and this always confuses me. How can a business afford to lose some business on a workday? Yes, Monday and Tuesday are poor sales days, but once in the holiday season, the sales are good every day. Slow days are for cleaning and organizing and minimal staffing. It is hard for me to understand this, but I know that the owners have likely thought this out, and I hope they made the correct decision (otherwise, there will likely be a new store there soon).

Air Volvo, smearing fresh, oily stuff from the newly sealed roads all over, returned me home. No Check Engine light appeared as I traveled over Beaverton, the West Hills, and Aloha. Excellent! I watched more episodes of “Midnight Mass” and began to like it less. There was a reveal that almost got me to eye-rolling. With no spoilers, I will likely watch some more, but I am less happy now. The mystery was more interesting, but maybe the reveal is not what it appears. Hoping for better, more to come.

I did not find the focus to work on the SMS Derfflinger 1916 model today. However, I read more about The Orchid Thief, which covered the story of orchid hunters in the 1800s-1900s and was fascinating. It looked like good material for a Call of Cthulhu adventure or Dungeons and Dragons. The author said there are few sources for the lives of the hunters, and sadly, they destroyed many of the sources for the orchids. I learned that many orchids are known as “lost orchids,” as the source of the orchid is unknown or destroyed, and the greenhouse example is lost to war, events, fire, or disinterest. Some lost orchids have been rediscovered in the wild or found in collections, but most are just names, descriptions, and maybe a drawing or painting to wonder about. Many new hunters search for them.

I was happy with just a few orchids, trying to resist the madness, and soon nodded off. I showered and soon was in bed reading more orchid stories. Then leg cramps visited, and those are more painful than most things I have experienced. Ugh. They faded as I tried to relax. I finally slept, waking up once for proof of hydration.

Thanks for reading.

Update: I completely spaced that I headed to Wildwood Taphouse and met JR there, and we chatted for a while. I also wrote a little on one of my Dungeons and Dragons adventures. It is always fascinating when I space part of a day. You can’t seem to draw the links in your mind when you try to replay a day, especially after sleeping. It is hard to cover everything, and most of the connections I found were related to things this morning (like turning on the light for the orchids) and seeing the book I mentioned. Without the clues, it is often hard to assemble the previous day.

Sunday is always early as I want to write the blog before church, and often, Saturday is a busy day, but this week, it was quiet, so I was finished with the blog early. I rose after 6, made liberal coffee in my French press, put a piece of meatball and olive pizza in the microwave, and had pizza and coffee for breakfast. I wrote until about 8ish, dressed in a sweater vest, dress shirt, and pride tie for church, and returned to my work table. I had plenty of time, so I decided to do the casement guns on SMS Derfflinger 1916. The plastic out-of-scale barrels for the guns are replaced with brass machined barrels that are corrected for the scale (tiny!). I managed to use the smelly jewelry cement to lock in the barrels. It takes 24 hours for it to harden, so there is time for minor adjustments.

Next, I used plastic cement, which dissolves the surface of the plastic and welds the plastic parts together. It is safer than CA glue, which dries solid and can leak and overflow, ruining parts of a model. With this 1/700 scale, I try to use more conservative techniques.

With that done, I headed to First United Methodist Church in Beaverton. I arrived soon as there was only light traffic and with no entanglements with Beaverton’s Finest. Our church has agreed to share its sanctuary with a non-denominational church, Emmaus Church, and its head pastor, Matt Bowen, gave the sermon today. It was a get-to-know-us wrapped in a Sunday service.

Today’s message was based on Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 16, the last of the letter. While certainly not a Methodist-style sermon with eschatology (end-of-the-world) elements you seldom hear at a Methodist church and the use of Satan as a foil, the message was that after all the teachings, try not to lose unity by letting dissension take over. The title, “Avoiding Community Catastrophe,” stated the goal simply. Pastor Matt boiled it down to two things, Jesus has already won, and for people to get good at being good and be dumb about how to do evil things. The Greek word he was focusing on in his message can mean mixing, and I would translate this part of Romans as “no mixing in wrong things.” I would revise Pastor Bowen’s words to be more friendly: “Be a connoisseur of good and never attend evil.”

The hymns were easy, and our visitors from Emmaus seemed to like to sing some oldies (but less than 500 years old). They were clapping to some. After church, I had coffee and chatted with folks. I headed out to Barnes and Noble to look for my usual periodicals. Air Volvo arrived there in light traffic.

All the water from yesterday’s thunderstorms was gone, showing how dry we were. The rains are back, and more are coming in a few days. The days can still be hot and humid, but there are now clouds in the skies, and we Oregonians are excited as we get to see one of our few season changes, often happening in days, not a month like in the rest of the USA. Our only mixed rain and clear days, Fall, is here on the Pacific Northwest Coast.

I found Cook’s and Make at Barnes and Noble. Both are bi-monthly, and I resisted Strategy and Tactics Magazine’s new issue on Stalingrad–an interesting topic to me. I was able to remember my membership info and got even $5 off, plus my usual discount. I was also tempted by the board game Earth, which I am sure Z and the gaming group at church would like. It is a card and engine-building game with the useful feature that players are often given actions by other players.

Lunch was with Mariah, who was only a few minutes late. We had sushi rolls and sake. I usually have a beer, but they were having issues with the beer. We chatted about writing, and Mariah said she checks the blog once in a while to ensure that Grammarly has not taken me over. Now, I sound like a chatbot–I think that was a joke. Mariah strongly suggested I should be traveling, and I will take that to heart. She also reminded me that she likes the series “Midnight Mass,” a horror and psychological thriller.

I assembled my rack for my orchids and added the lights. It was delivered from Amazon yesterday, and while not an IKEA kit—Basics from Amazon—this thing seemed to channel the strange pieces and impossible-to-align parts you often find in IKEA. I checked, and it seemed level, but I learned my floors were not. Done–I hope.

I had purchased and Amazon delivered the recommended lights for orchids—two sets of three—but I only needed three. I used cable ties to hang the lights inside the rack, one pinkish light per row. The rack is four inches too tall for my preferred location, and I will need to move games. I need to clear space in the garage for games anyway; I will plan the work soon. I also want to get Air Volvo inside before the winter.

While my phone credited me no steps for that workout, I was tired and tried to read more of The Orchid Thief. The writer, Susan Orlean, uses lots of false bluster I have not seen before in a popular book–I like it. I nodded off and slept. I woke at around 5 and started laundry in The Machine. I found the Trader Joe’s fish sticks and tater tots and put them in the oven. I watched the first episode of “Midnight Mass” and thought it was very well done and creepy, but you could not figure out where the creepy was coming from. I watched the second episode and finished it after a call in the dark, and that one went for some cheap false-jump scares–I still like it, but not in the dark. I ate fish sticks while watching a show set on an island of fishermen.

I finished the laundry—two loads—and put them away. I did the dishes. After the ant people were here, I saw lots of ants in the house. Hmmm. “What does not kill you, makes you stronger,” is the message I think I am getting from the ants. I will have to reconnect with the ant folks and ask them to bring this under control (again).

I took a shower, put on my newly washed PJs, and went back to reading The Orchid Thief. The author’s story about orchids got me interested again in the plants I ordered, which will be delivered on Monday. I will resist becoming an orchid-crazy and building greenhouses! Resist!

I soon was nodding off and found I was dreaming about Florida swamps full of orchids, turned off the light, and slept. I did wake to prove hydration.

Thanks for reading!

 

I rose about 8, as I had written the blog the night before. I found the last baked good I bought for breakfast, an almond croissant, and made coffee, liberal, in the French Press. I read the news and updated Quicken with the new transactions. I keep an eye on all the accounts (except for the 401K) by downloading transactions from all the accounts into Quicken. This gives me a clear-eyed view of my finances and allows me to immediately spot any hacks.

With some spare time, I got out the tiny brush, the Pycho, and painted the tiny coaling lids on SMS Derfflinger 1916 XF-19 Sky Grey. The paint was scraped from the etched brass pieces when I cut them from the fret and applied them to the deck. I always wash and use primer paint on etched brass parts, but often, the paint is scrapped when cutting and folding.

I clean up and dress and find a text from Misha. They are heading out. I was thinking 11, but they started sooner. I board Air Volvo and soon head to Portland’s Saturday Market. Traffic is light, but more than one would expect for a weekend. I soon cross NW Portland to Burnside Street to a small lot for paid parking (about $11 for the day) just across from Voodoo Donuts in Skidmore—a very sketching area at night.

Misha, Hope, and their daughters Anneliese and Lorelei were on a bus from the science center OMSI. They had parked the car there, as it was planned to be the last stop for the day. They had a flight back to Boston at 11 at PDX. I met them as they got off the bus at NW Burnside and NW 2nd Street.

The Saturday market was in full swing but smaller than the last time I saw it. The vendors are required to make the things they sell, but the definition of “make” is quite liberal (with T-shirts and art prints included). The freeze-dried candy became a must-have. I also bought the girls a stuffed animal mushroom and a laser-cut wood and glass light catcher. Hope found some new carrying bags made from hemp.

Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House was selected for lunch and rated well for no-gluten options. That meant walking back across the park again and right by Powell’s. We placed all the bags in Air Volvo to lighten the load before heading up the hill. While walking, we saw that there was a cycling race in Portland today. Bikes were on closed roads with barriers going very fast. A person we did not know spoke at one of the crosswalks about their recent release from a mental institute and how they would have a talking-to with someone. We made supportive noises and headed our way and they went another way.

At Deschutes, we were quickly given a table, but that was the end of ‘quick’ responses. Service was slow, with our waiter having too many tables and circling through them with what looked like great caution. While slow, the food was well received, and the adult beverages—I had a beer made from rice—were exceptional.

We walked through the park again to return to Air Volvo. I discovered that my phone was still at Deschutes Brewery Portland Public House. We boarded Air Volvo, squeezing in, and I soon parked in a space for trucks, ran in, and got my phone back. Excellent.

We then crossed NW Portland to bridges over the Willamette River and soon stopped at Guardian Games, only minutes from OMSI. We just did a quick walk-through and soon returned to Air Volvo and then to OMSI. We unloaded there, and I received a bounty of an unneeded car seat and some food items they no longer needed. We said our goodbyes, and the last I saw of Misha and their family was when they disappeared in OMSI as Air Volvo took me home. Later, I got a text that they were at the airport and at home in Boston on Sunday morning.

I was tired and rested for the rest of Saturday. I watched more of the Sandman episodes while eating leftover Chinese-style food I made. I reached the end of the series. While dark and strange, I really enjoyed it again (my third time watching it) and look forward to the series season two starting at the end of August.

I returned to SMS Derfflinger 1916 and started on the plastic parts. I removed the casement guns from the frets and located the replacement barrens in brass. Casement guns were leftovers from older ship designs (popular in the late 1800s) and disappeared soon in newer ships. The casements were placed near the deck level and pointed out of the side of a ship, often becoming unusable in moderate seas (the water floods them)–the barrels looking like straws to drink seawater. The Imperial German Navy was conservative and was slow to change to the newer designs, but built better armored and safer ships though slower and lighter armed than British designs. American designs from the early 1900s were between the two extremes.

It is always strange when you prepare so many parts, put a large part into the model, and move the model to another stage of the build. It seems that suddenly, after hours and hours of tiny parts, painting, and folding brass, you leap forward. Often, a model finishes before I realize that I am done.

I read more of The Orchid Thief and soon went to bed early after a shower. Before, I was nodding off watching the Sandman episodes, but when I tried to sleep in the chair, nothing happened. I closed my eyes and blinked, and it was two hours later, and proof of hydration was required. I went back to sleep and woke later after sunrise.

Aside: I read about orchids, and many growers have lost their plants to drought, poisoned plant food, and hurricanes. Whole lines of orchid hybrids were lost. I have started to see this in roses, as old roses and many miniature rose choices are disappearing from the market. Folks are buying them less often, and thus, there are fewer folks growing them. For example, the David Austin rose, Herbist, a wonderful plant, is not available anywhere (and my version is on its own roots).

Thanks for reading!

The morning started with the alarm, announcing at 6:30 that I had managed to roll over and get ten more minutes of sleep. I woke, like when I worked for a living and had a daily alarm, just before the alarm, and then rolled over and was shocked by the sudden alarm. It would be emotionally better to climb out of bed, but the blankets feel so good. I made liberal coffee, Equal Exchange, in my French Press. I had almond croissants from Paris Baguette Bakery in Beaverton. I used to get them in NYC, and l was thrilled when one opened in Cedar Hills Crossing.

My morning trip into Portland was in Rush Hour traffic, but I arrived with plenty of time with only a thirty-minute trip (+10 mins from no traffic travel). Air Volvo had no issues. I also spoke to TV Highway Automotive, and they have the part for Air Volvo (the fill flap is leaking air); I will be there Monday to get that fixed. As you, dear reader, can imagine, the Engine Check Light has now gone out now that we have a fix. I will get the now-working gas fill flag replaced on Monday.

I had written the blog the previous night and had an 8:15 doctor appointment with my oncologist. I took Air Volvo with just one cup of coffee consumed and headed to the OHSU Knight Cancer Center at Legacy in Portland. This is a check-in and lab appointment. United Healthcare, my insurance is still good from Nike, denied my doctor’s request for a CT scan to check that the cancer did not reappear. I wanted to check if we wanted to fight that (yes, we do) and that it is a normal practice (yes, it is) and ask doc to re-order the test (done). I will invest in fighting and, in the end, will pay for it myself (doc let me know to let him know as there are reduced cost providers). But the good news was that the labs and the specific tumor factor lab all showed improvements and no signs of new cancer. We will meet again in three months and hopefully have a CT scan to review this next time.

Air Volvo had me in the Pearl district next and parked in the garage. Since Friday is a work day, parking will be $21 for the day. I am an hour early, plus a little more before Powell’s City of Books opens. I am meeting Misha and his family there. Anneliese and Lorelei, the daughters, are looking forward to a large bookstore with mixes of new and used books (without sales tax). With spare time and a cool, slightly cloudy day, I walk to the Park on Park Street and get some steps in.

One of the street people sitting on a bench with a friend sees me and asks what kind of blood draw I did, “Plasma?” They sell blood and plasma and had thought me local as I was walking with a bandage on my arm. I told them about a cancer test, and we had a nice chat. They were happy that I passed my test. We exchanged health stories, and all survived cancer these past years. It was strange to be mistaken for a street person, but not many people are walking the street with bandages that are not street people.

I said many good mornings and received a surprising number of friendly replies, but only one offer to let me buy some mushrooms (I think that was what was offered). I demurred and kept walking. I put on 3,000+ steps and then headed back up the hill to the Pearl and Powell’s. Soon, Misha, Hope, Anneliese, and Lorelei arrived at the front door of Powell’s–walking as the bus was missed, which opened a few minutes later at 10. We arranged to reassemble at 11, and I had coffee at the cafe while they enjoyed finding used books and other treasures.

It was still too early for lunch, so we walked again past the park and into the sketchy part of Portland and the Chinese Garden. I bought the tickets because I had a membership with two entrances. We spent an hour or more wandering the garden. Hope, and I could have spent the afternoon enjoying it.

Next, we walked up the hill and through the part (again) and found food carts that did not fit the bill. Misha found more on his phone, and we walked another four blocks to those. There we had lunch. Chicken fingers for the girls, something gluten-free for Misha and Hope, and both went for India-styled food. After learning the code for the restrooms, used same, we returned to the same sketchy area. Sadly, Anneliese was too young for the underground tour, and Misha and she headed to the park (yes, again). Anneliese made new friends and enjoyed playing outside.

Hope, Lorelei, and I got the Shanghai Ghost tour under Old Town Pizza for the next ninety minutes, which, while strong in the story, was mostly touring disused basements and dodging plumbing. I can see that it is spooky and gloomy, and I suspect the old buildings (1880s) have many events (some captured on video and shared with us). I knew the original long tunnels were long gone (I recreated them in a role-playing adventure I wrote set in 1990 Portland), and these connected basements were all that survived. I cannot recommend the tours, but this might work for you if you like ghost stories and trudging through dark places with unlevel floors.

The Old Town Pizza owners found a nice piece of stained glass and put it in their basement (tunnels), where they have a bar set up. Our tour guide poured some beer for some of us. Hope and I had some; it was quite good. I skipped the free drink at the bar later, but seeing us still there, the tour guide showed us some related areas in the upstairs bar.

Next, walking to the park (yes, again), we found Misha and Anneliese, back to Powell’s (again), and some shopping. Misha and family found a spot in Powell’s to do a little video conference with a cousin who had a birthday back out East. It was too early for dinner, so we decided that Misha and their family would head back to the hotel (and across the Park again), rest, and find dinner later. I would head home.

Air Volvo encountered little traffic and no events. However, crossing Beaverton seemed to take forever, as every light seemed to stop Air Volvo. Finally, I arrived. My rack for the flower pots had been delivered and was outside the door. I am starting back on orchids and need a place to keep them. I have lights, trays, and now a rack for them.

I made Trader Joe’s frozen Chicken and Mushroom dinner for dinner. This requires defrosting everything in the microwave first. I also made fresh rice to go with it. It was delicious. While eating, I watched the next episode of Sandman. Episode six includes the introduction of a lovely woman, who we slowly learn is Death, and then we learn that Dream, the star of the show, and Death made a bet about a human. This is one of the best episodes, though quite sad when Death does her work.

I started to write the blog as I will not have time in the morning unless I rise early. I invited Corwin to enjoy my leftovers, and then we will head to a movie, Borderlands, based on a video game. I kept writing and finally finished (now). Thanks for reading. 13,000 steps for the day.

I was tired from all the driving and walking the day before, and I had no plans for the morning, so I rose late. I made liberal coffee from Equal Exchange and reheated a slice of pizza (olive and meatballs) from last night. I tried to get started, but I kept finding something else more interesting until after nine. I at least downloaded all the Quicken updates. The stock market has bounced back from the near crash. My Ford stock (F) was now higher.

I finally found the focus to write and even did multiple asides while telling the story of Wednesday’s trip to the coast and back. Misha and their family were at the Evergreen Water Park and Air History Museum today. I had decided not to overdo it and took the day slower at home.

The lights for my new orchids arrived today. The orchids are on their way to arrive on Monday. I assembled one set of LED lights, plugged them in, and tested them; they are bright and easy to use. The shelves should arrive tomorrow. Susie wanted me to return to growing orchids, but something always got in the way. Now that I have the time to care for the orchids, I invested some of my bonus money in supplies and flowers.

I reheated the pasta for lunch in the microwave. I watched episode 5 of Sandman. This is a disturbing and violent episode about crushing people’s dreams by making them only act on what is true. I still think it was well done, but it is hard to see a group of characters, some sympathetic, be destroyed with their dreams. It is a well-done episode.

After all that darkness, and knowing that Misha, Hope, Anneliese, and Lorelei would meet me at Sushi Mazi off of SE Division Street in Portland at about 6:30, I could do some shopping and walking. I headed to the Cedar Hills Crossing Mall to walk. It is primarily outdoor walking. It was overcast and about 70F (21C). I walked all over the new parts and stopped in a few shops. I also crossed Cedar Hills Street to the Walker strip mall and walked that, too, collecting just under 4,000 steps. I picked up breakfast for the next two days at Paris Baguette Bakery.

I drove to the older mall and Powell’s and looked for older Orchid books. I also found a cheap soap dish that matched the cheap toothbrush holder I got last time—perfect. I found a lovely, larger coffee table-sized orchid book that was used and under $20. Lastly, I found a used copy of The Orchid Thief that I meant to read, and it was also cheap. This got me over 4,000 steps.

I headed back to The Volvo Cave but then drove by, refueled, and stopped at the car wash. The Oregon Mist finally reappeared early this year, and I got Air Volvo washed in the rain. It is an Oregonian thing.

Back at the house, I did the dishes, read The Orchid Thief until 5:20, and then boarded an Air Volvo. Thursday is usually heavy traffic, and I did not reach the Sushi Mazi until 6 and then parked three blocks away. At least the rain had not reached Portland yet. I got a table for five just before the rush hit and filled the place. Only a few minutes later, Misha and family walked in. Misha ordered various rolls and sushi items. After checking with the waiter (she thought it was excellent), I had the sashimi salad with Miso Soup, a less carbohydrate meal that I ruined with a Kirin beer (from the smaller bottle). The meal was excellent.

We discussed it, and I ordered tickets for the Haunted Underground Shanghai Tunnel Tour at 2 on Friday (there is a beer tasting that we will likely skip). We were less sure about the ghost tour at 8 p.m. After that, Misha and I headed to the non-tourist Voodoo Donut location in SE. Misha will get some gluten-free donuts from a well-reviewed donut place in the morning. We will meet at Powel’s City of Books at about 10. I have an early doc meeting on Friday morning in NW Portland.

Air Volvo reached the Volvo Cave without issue, retracing its steps across the Ross Island Bridge. There, I unloaded, put out the trash (only one bag), invited the neighbors to use my trash container for any excess, and headed inside. I had some leftover chicken, as raw fish is not that filling. I watched another episode of Sandman but stopped it 1/2 way as I had to write the blog. I spent the rest of the evening writing.

And that takes me full circle. Thanks for reading. I reached just under 6,000 steps today.